The Complot
by PerfectStoryLove
Summary: Jones is SIO in a case because DCI Barnaby is on a holiday. Together with Gail Stephens he is going to investigate the murder. Stephens herself is somehow involved with the murderer too. This story contains also Ben/Gail romance :) English is not my first language (I am Dutch), so please tell me if something isn't right.


Detective Sergeant Ben Jones was just about to open a new case. His boss, DCI Tom Barnaby, was on a holiday, so he was the SIO now. He felt that leading the case on his own was a great opportunity for him. Just five minutes ago he got a call from the station that he was needed at the crime scene. Jones looked for Detective Constable Gail Stephens to accompany him, she was now the one who had to go with him as the second investigator. This was a good opportunity for her as well. Jones couldn't find Stephens at her desk were she was supposed to be, so he decided to ask the Desk Sergeant whether he knew where she was.

'Good morning, Serge!' the Desk Sergeant said when he saw Jones walking to his desk.

'Morning, Wilkins,' Jones greeted back. 'I was wondering if you have seen DC Stephens this morning, I couldn't find her at her desk.'

'I'm afraid not, sir,' Wilkins answered. 'But she should be at the station, she is on duty right now as far as I know.'

'Yes, that is true. Well, thank you. Just call me when she shows up and tell her that I am looking for her and that it is urgent. I have to leave now to the crime scene.'

'Yes, sir.'

Jones walked off back to his office. He decided to ask PC Anderson to make notes at the crime scene. Just in case, he also took his own notebook and pen with him. He had no time to look for another DC, so he drove off in his black Ford Mondeo to the crime scene in Midsomer Magna. He was a little bit angry with Stephens, because she wasn't where she was supposed to be. He decided to have a talk with her about that later.

As Jones and Anderson arrived at the crime scene, doctor George Bullard was already there. When he saw Jones, he came towards him.

'Ah, Ben!' he said. 'I've heard that you are the Senior Officer now in this case! The victim is over there, it doesn't look very good.' He pointed to a place where the body was supposed to be. Jones couldn't see the body from where he stood, because of the group pathologists.

'Thank you, doctor Bullard,' Ben said as he walked over to place were Bullard had pointed to.

Jones ducked under the tape and PC Anderson followed him. The body didn't look very well indeed. It was difficult for Jones to keep his breakfast in. The face of the victim was covered with blood and his whole body had awful scratches. Doctor Bullard came standing next to Jones.

'Do we have an identity of this man?' Jones asked Bullard.

'Yes, we do. The name of this man is Cedric Combs. He is 36 years and he had a girlfriend who lives here in Midsomer Magna too. His family does not live nearby as far as I know. His parents are in de States at the moment. He doesn't have any siblings or grandparents. Mr. Combs was a successful businessman, so he made a lot of money. We also found some alcohol in his blood, so presumably he was drunk at the time he was murdered. The murder weapon seemed to be something like a stick, but there is no trace of it so far.'

'And who found the body?' Jones asked, while Anderson was writing down everything Bullard said.

'Ferry Milburn, he says he is a friend of Mr. Combs. We asked him to wait over there,' Bullard said, while he was pointing at a young man in his middle thirties with blond hair who was sitting on a bench, staring at something invisible.

'Thank you, doctor Bullard,' Jones said and he walked over to the nearest PC. He asked the PC for the address of Mr. Combs's girlfriend and then walked over to the bench where Ferry Milburn was sitting down. Ferry looked up when Jones approached him.

'I am DS Jones, Causton CID, and this is PC Anderson. I would like to ask you some questions, since you are the one who found Cedric's body,' Jones said firmly.

'Of course, no problem,' Ferry said.

'When did you exactly find the body?'

'I'd say it was around seven this morning. I just went for a walk in this park when I saw a person laying here. I still can't believe it is Cedric. I saw him yesterday evening in the pub, he was a little bit nervous, but that was nothing strange to me. He is often nervous. He is a busy man, you see. As far as I now, he doesn't have any enemies.'

Ferry seemed a little bit nervous himself too. Jones thought he was not speaking the whole truth. But he thought it would be better to leave him for now. It must have been a shock for him to find a friend dead like this. He just asked him to give PC Anderson his address and his phone number and decided to bring Cedric's girlfriend the news. He would go back to Ferry later.

Just when Jones was ready to leave the scene to go to the house of Miranda, Cedric's girlfriend, he saw Stephens walking towards him. She looked as though she hadn't slept at all this night. She also looked rather pale, as though she had seen ghosts. When Jones saw her like this, he was more worried about her than that he was angry with her. He decided not to take it too hard on Stephens. A more friendly way was better, he thought.

'Gail!' Ben greeted.

'Oh, hey, Serge,' Stephens said nervously. 'I am so sorry that I am late…'

'It's okay, Gail. Just try to be on time next time. I'll forgive you for this,' Jones said, giving her a friendly smile. 'Did you sleep well this night? You look like you didn't.'

'I have had a late night yesterday,' Stephens said, returning a weak smile.

'Is something bothering you?' Jones asked her concerned.

'No, there isn't,' she said without much conviction. 'So, what has happened here in the meantime?'

Jones thought that it would be better to leave her to it. Maybe she would talk to him later this day. He told her what has happened and that he was just going to see Miranda. Stephens tried to look firmly, but without much success. Nevertheless, she was now going with Jones to the house of Miranda, instead of PC Anderson.

Miranda's house was small with a big, tidy garden in front of it. There were a lot of flowers and the grass was perfectly green with no leaf to be seen. Jones walked in front of Stephens to the door and he knocked on it. A pretty woman in her early to her middle thirties opened the door. She had deep blue eyes and dark hair. She looked surprised when she saw Jones and Stephens in front of her.

'Are you Miranda Green?' Jones asked the young lady.

'Yes, I am, who are you if I may ask?' she answered.

'I am Detective Sergeant Jones and this is Detective Constable Stephens, Causton CID,' Jones answered her question. 'Do you mind if we come in?'

'Oh, I see. No, not at all, come in,' she said, giving the detectives a smile.

The three of them walked to the small living room. It was a cozy room with again a lot of flowers. They sat down on the couch while Miranda sat down on a chair on the other side of the table that stood between them.

'Do you like some thee? Or coffee?' she asked.

'No, thank you,' Jones said. 'We are here because of your boyfriend.'

Miranda's eyes widened. 'What? Has something happened to him?'

'I am afraid so. I am sorry to tell you that we found your boyfriend dead this morning in the park. We also believe that we are dealing with a murder.'

Miranda stared out of the window. She knew she couldn't show what she thought. She had to make sure that that DS believed her. That DC wouldn't say anything to him about it, she was sure about that. She was safe as long as she played her part well.

'How long did you known Mr. Combs?' Jones asked her.

'Well, not that long. I met him in the pub, two months ago. He was such a nice man. We have gone out for a walk and since then we were a couple. I can't believe he is dead.'

Suddenly Miranda started to cry. Jones looked at the poor lady. He felt truly sorry for her. Stephens just sat on the couch and looked at the woman. She didn't seem to notice that Miranda was crying. Normally she would have gone over to comfort her. Jones tapped Stephens's shoulder and she gave Jones an angry look. When she saw Jones looking at her with confusion, she quickly changed her face in a more friendly one. Then she realized that Miranda was crying. Stephens sighed and got to her feet and went over to comfort the young lady, but not with very much enthusiasm. When Miranda remained finally silent, Jones asked her a next question.

'Could you think of anybody who would have want to hurt him?'

'No…. Everybody liked Cedric as far as I know. He was a wealthy man though, so perhaps he had a bad working relationship with someone. But don't know anything about his working relationships. He seemed a bit down last week, though.'

Stephens went back to the couch and sat down next to Jones again, so she could look at the face of the woman. Stephens didn't look very friendly.

'And what about you?' Stephens asked Miranda.

'What do you mean?' Miranda returned the question with confusion. Jones didn't know what Stephens was about to ask either. He looked at Stephens with curiosity.

'I mean, he was your boyfriend. Maybe you were after his money. Maybe you wanted to get rid of him for some reason.'

Stephens sounded offensive. Jones looked shocked. To him, Miranda seemed a honest young lady who was grieving about the dead of her boyfriend. He didn't saw the reason why Stephens was so hard for her. Miranda looked also shocked and grew angry.

'Do you think I killed him?' she yelled. 'You are crazy! Why are you saying that?'

'Because you could have killed him. As far as we know, you were the closest to him in his life,' Stephens continued.

'I didn't kill him!' Miranda cried.

'Then why are you shouting at me?' Stephens snapped.

Miranda suddenly got to her feet and went over to Stephens. She raised her hand and hit her very hard. Stephens cried in pain and got to her feet as well. Miranda hit her again, and this time Stephens fell to the ground. Jones grabbed Miranda and forced her back in her chair. Then he picked up Stephens and gave her an angry look.

'What is the matter with you, Gail? Why did you say that?' Jones said. His voice sounded dangerously strict.

'I am sorry, Serge, I really am. It won't happen again,' Stephens said with her hand against her cheek which was bleeding.

'You better make sure it won't,' Jones said, still angry. 'And you, Miss Green, you are coming down to the station with us for hitting a police officer.'

Miranda busted out in tears when she saw the angry look on the Sergeant's face. 'I didn't mean to! I am so sorry!' she cried.

Jones felt sorry for her, but he couldn't just ignore what she just did. 'I'm sorry, but I have to take you down to the station. I know you are upset,' he said, now a lot more friendly.

Miranda got up and walked to Jones. Suddenly she busted out in tears again and fell in the Sergeant's arms. She kept on crying. Jones putted her back down in her chair and held his hand on her shoulder. He looked at her and waited patiently until Miranda stopped crying. Her blue eyes went finally dry and she looked up at the Sergeant. Jones just couldn't charge her for what she did. She was having a hard time. Besides, what Stephens did was also wrong.

'Alright, Miss Green,' Jones said. 'I will not charge you for what you have done. This time I shall ignore it. But I have to warn you, this can't happen again.'

'Of course not, sir,' Miranda said, giving Jones a weak smile. 'I really appreciate this.'

'We might have some questions for you later, so don't go anywhere in the meantime,' Jones said.

'If you have any further questions, please don't bring her with you,' Miranda said while she pointed at Stephens, who stood in the hallway.

'I can't promise that. But I will have a good talk with her about this. I am really sorry for you,' Jones said.

He stood up and walked towards Stephens who was nervously waiting there for him. They left Miranda Green in her living room and went back to the car. The ride to the station was very silent, Jones and Stephens didn't exchange a word with each other. Jones parked his car at the car parking in front of the station. As the two detectives walked to their office, Jones was thinking of what he would say to Stephens. He needed to act like a strict superior, but he also saw that something was bothering Stephens. He didn't want to upset her.

'Gail?' Jones began.

Stephens said nothing, she knew that she was wrong and that Jones was going to tell her the same thing.

'You know that this wasn't right of you, don't you?' Jones said.

Stephens just nodded.

'What is bothering you? I want you to be honest with me. And don't try to tell me that there is nothing, because I know there is something,' Jones said.

Stephens still didn't want to look at Jones's face, because she knew that she would have to talk if she did. She also didn't want to lie to Jones. She saw him as a friend and she trusted him, but she wasn't so sure if he could help her with this. She couldn't tell him. For her own sake and for her friend's. She didn't want Ferry to get in trouble.

'It is nothing, Ben. I am not lying. I just had a late night, so I am very tired,' she said this while she was trying to fake a neutral face. Of course this didn't work.

'You are not honest with me, Gail. I think I am able to help you, but then you have to tell me what is going on here. If you try to lie to me again, I might become annoyed. Just so you know,' Jones said, now a little bit more eager.

Stephens remained silent. She was determined not to take any risks.

'Is it about me?' Jones asked.

'No. It isn't. Honestly,' Stephens said.

'Then what is it?'

Again Stephens shut her mouth. Jones sighed. Maybe he shouldn't force her to much. Maybe he should give her some more time.

'Alright then, but if you aren't a little bit more focused by tomorrow, I will demand an answer,' Jones said.

Stephens nodded and went to her desk. She felt guilty. She knew that she could trust Jones, but she couldn't tell him. Even if he didn't tell anyone else about it, it wouldn't be safe enough.

The next morning Ben Jones was just reading a report of the case when a PC Carter came into the office.

'Morning, sir,' he greeted as he saw Jones. 'Have you seen DC Stephens? I am looking for her.'

'Morning, Carter. No, I haven't seen her yet. But it is still early, so I bet she will be here soon. I shall say to her that you are looking for her,' Jones said. 'Why do you want to speak to her by the way?'

'Oh, nothing important. It's got nothing to do with the case anyway. I'm sorry I've disturbed you, sir,' Carter said.

PC Carter left the office and Jones went back reading his report. Though he couldn't concentrate very well. He was thinking about Stephens. She was late again. Just when Jones was thinking of calling her to ask where she was, he saw Stephens walk into the office. She looked less pale than yesterday, which was a good sign, Jones thought. He didn't want to tell her that she was late again. He was already relieved that she had shown up and looked a bit healthier than yesterday.

'Good morning, Gail,' Ben said to Stephens.

'Morning, Ben,' Stephens said, giving a smile to Jones. Her smile was a lot more convincing than yesterday too.

'PC Carter was looking for you, by the way,' Jones said.

Jones thought he saw Stephens swallowing.

'Did he say what it was about?' she asked.

'No, he didn't. He said that it was nothing important,' Jones answered.

'I'll go talk to him then,' Stephens said sighing.

Stephens knew that it was not nothing. Of course was Carter not going to say to Jones what he wanted to talk about with her. She walked quickly through the station. When she saw Carter, her face went pale again. He smiled at her, but she knew that that was just acting. He waved at Stephens and she followed him to an empty office.

'So there you are. You haven't told anyone about it?' Carter said to Stephens.

'Of course I didn't.'

'And your boyfriend? You haven't told him either? He looked at me with suspicion though.'

'I don't have a boyfriend you little creep. What are you talking about?'

'Oh, you don't? I thought you were very close with DS Jones. A little bit dangerous, isn't it? First he is your superior, and second you know that you can't talk to him about this.'

'He is not my boyfriend. We just have a good working relationship.'

'Whatever you say. But I have seen the way you look at him,' he sneered.

'Just shut up you filthy..,' she couldn't finish her sentence, because Carter interrupted her.

'I wouldn't talk to me like that if I were you. You know what happens then.'

'You stay away from Ferry!'

'Or what else?'

Stephens remained silent. She knew she couldn't do anything. He and his girlfriend had everything under control. She wished that she hadn't seen how his girlfriend Miranda committed the murder on her 'boyfriend'. The worst of all was that Jones believed Miranda, just because she could act very well.

'Good. I have something for you to do. I have here the murder weapon and I want you to get rid of it. If you mess it up, I will hurt your friend Ferry very badly. We are just about to get all of Cedric's money, so you better don't mess it up. Just take this stick with you and make sure your boyfriend doesn't find it,' Carter said with a dangerously soft voice.

Stephens didn't want him to commit another murder, so she agreed. She hid the murder weapon in a plastic bag so nobody would see it when she walked to the door. Carter went first and Stephens followed him a few minutes later so that no one would get suspicious.

On her way to the front door, Stephens noticed that it was so full of people, that she could go out unnoticed. She thought that it was best to drop the stick somewhere in the water, because the fingerprints would wash off then. Stephens walked off to her car and drove away from Causton. It was better that the stick would not be found by anyone at all. When she passed Oxford, she thought it would be safe by now. No one would go and look for it here. No one from Causton, in any case. So she parked the car next to a small river and she walked down to the water. First she washed the blood of, so nobody could identify the DNA in the blood. Then she threw the stick in the water and watched as the murder weapon sank to the bottom. She kept looking at it until she didn't saw it anymore, just to make sure that it was invisible.

Jones was looking for Stephens. Again. It was getting a little bit annoying. He intended to go to interview Ferry again. He had found the body and he looked rather nervous when he talked about his friend. It was as though he knew something. He wanted DC Stephens to accompany him, just to make the notes of the interview. As he stood up to go and make a call to ask where Stephens was, she came walking into the office. She looked pale again. Something was very wrong here.

'Where have you been?' Jones demanded.

'I was just out for a walk. I felt I needed some air,' Stephens answered. She must have been a bad liar, because of course Jones saw she wasn't speaking the truth.

'Gail! Seriously. You should tell me what is going on. I promise I will listen to you and try to help you. Do you want to tell me what is going on?' Jones asked.

'No, I don't. You really can't help me. But it is sweet of you that you offered it,' Gail said.

'I'm not satisfied with a no Gail. You know that. Let's go for a walk, maybe you feel more comfortable somewhere out of the station.'

Gail agreed. Not because she wanted to talk to him, but because she had no choice. Jones was insisting, so she had to go with him. Besides, she always liked his company. He was a nice man to talk with and they always felt comfortable with each other. She thought about what Carter said to her. Did she really fancy him? The more she looked at him, the more she started to like him. This was making it all more complicated than it already was. When the two walked through the quiet park, Jones began to talk.

'So, what did Carter want from you?'

Stephens didn't expect this question.

'Come on, I am not stupid. You were going to see Carter, you were gone for almost an hour and you returned with a face like you have seen a ghost. What did he want from you?' Jones asked with true curiosity.

Stephens really wanted to tell him everything. Jones is the one she trusts the most. But she had to be careful. She had to make sure that no one would hear them. She walked with Jones a little bit further and they waited until they were sure that no one was there to see them. She didn't know that Carter followed her. All the way long.

'Alright, I will tell you, but you must promise not to tell anyone else,' Stephens said quietly.

'I promise. Just tell me.'

Stephens began to talk, while Jones was listening very carefully. He didn't interrupt her once.

'Yesterday morning, around eight o'clock, I was just walking in the park. There I would meet my friend, Ferry. We are friends since high school. Just then I saw Miranda Green with a stick. She was hitting someone. I couldn't see who it was, but I went over to her and I told her to stop. The man she was hitting was Cedric Combs. I didn't know the man, but it was not a pretty sight to see him lying there his face covered with blood. I told her to stop it, and just then there was a man coming towards me. He had Ferry and he held a knife against his throat. I didn't know what to do anymore. The man who held Ferry was familiar to me. It was a colleague in fact. His name was Thomas Carter, a PC in Causton. Miranda and Thomas were hitting Mr. Combs to death, so they would be able to get his money. Thomas told me that he would kill Ferry if I told anyone about this. So I had to promise I wouldn't tell anyone. Two hours ago, he confronted me again with the fact I shouldn't tell anyone about it. I had to hide the murder weapon somewhere where it couldn't be found. Ben, I am so afraid, we can't do anything. If we confront him with this, his girlfriend will kill Ferry. If he knows I told you about it he might even kill you too!'

Jones looked at Stephens with sympathy. This explains her strange behavior, especially her behavior towards Miss Green.

'Where is the murder weapon now?' he asked.

'I threw it in a river near Oxford. I could show you where it is if you want,' Stephens said.

'I think that I should go to PC Carter first, before he kills Ferry. I will make a call to make sure that Ferry gets guards around his house. Just to be sure.'

'No! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!' Stephens said, looking very afraid. 'Maybe he will hurt you as well! Maybe he heard everything we have said. Maybe he has spies all over the place!'

'He doesn't need to know that you told me this. I'll just talk to him.'

'You made a promise!'

'Gail! I am not going to let this happen! Look what he has done to you. How dares that little creep even to blackmail you. I will make him pay for this, whatever it takes. I shall protect you, don't be scared.'

'Ben, please,' Stephens said.

'You heard me, and you will stop to try to change my mind.'

'But…' Stephens began, but she swallowed her words when she saw the look the Sergeant gave her. She hadn't seen that look before. It was strict, determined and sweet at the same time. Stephens was glad that she had finally told him, but she was very afraid of what would happen next.

'You really should trust me, Gail. Could you do that for me?'

'I'll do my best. Sir,' Stephens said, smiling at Jones.

'Just Ben will do Gail, since when are you calling me sir?'

'Since I was wondering how that would sound. And it sounds weird.'

'Yes, it does,' Jones said returning a smile. He saw how sweet Stephens was looking at him. If he wasn't on duty, he could have kissed her. Suddenly Stephens grabbed his hand.

'Thank you, Ben,' she said.

'What for? I haven't done anything. At least, not yet.'

'I am glad you listened to me,' Stephens said while she was coming closer to Jones.

Jones saw Stephens getting closer to him and he decided that this was his chance. He really liked Stephens, so why not? The two kissed each other carefully, not knowing what the other would think of it. They paused for a little while and continued then, now more passionately. After one minute Jones began to speak again.

'I won't let him harm you, I promise that.'

'I'm not sure if I am taking your promises serious anymore,' Stephens said giggling.

'This time, I really promise,' Jones said, laughing back at her.

Back at the station Carter was already making a call with his girlfriend. She promised him to get into Ferry's house to get him out of there before the backup would arrive. Everything went to plan. Miranda would drug Ferry and get him out of his house, so that that nosy DS couldn't find him.

Ben Jones was walking through the station, looking for Thomas Carter. The Desk Sergeant asked if he was looking for someone. Apparently, his anger was there for everyone to see on his face. It was difficult to hide. Jones said that he was looking for Carter, but the Desk Sergeant hadn't seen him either. Jones was wondering if the Desk Sergeant ever saw someone, because so far he hadn't seen anyone who Jones was looking for. Jones became more angry by every step he took. He asked another PC if he had seen Carter, and luckily, he had.

'Just around the corner, sir. He was making a call to someone. He is in the small room behind that door,' the PC said, pointing at a door.

'Thank you, Constable,' Jones said and he walked to the door.

Carter was there indeed. He was just putting his phone away. He stood up when he saw the Sergeant and he pretended to be surprised by his visit.

'Sir,' he said. 'What can I do for you?'

This fake effort to act spontaneous made Jones feel sick. He grew so angry that he wasn't trying to take it easy on Carter anymore. This Constable was a traitor. He murdered someone, and he blackmailed Gail Stephens. That was reason enough to confront him directly with what he did.

'You know perfectly fine what you can do for me,' Jones said with a dangerously soft voice.

'So you know. I knew it. I knew that that stupid DC couldn't shut her mouth to you.'

'Don't you dare to call DC Stephens stupid,' Jones said coming a step closer to the PC.

'I wouldn't talk to me like that if I were you,' Carter sneered.

'I talk to you how I want to talk to you, Constable,' Jones dared Carter.

'I already made a call to Miranda. Yes, I heard you talking in the park. And I saw you kissing by the way. I knew it had to come. You two are flirting with each other for years.'

'You made a call? To do what?'

'You know perfectly fine, Detective Sergeant,' Carter said.

'I am not afraid of you, Carter. You will tell me where you have hidden Ferry, or else..'

'Or else what? Are you going to attack me or something? Are you going to arrest me? I will not talk in any case. You will never know where he is, unless you let me go with all the money and with Miranda. Besides, once I've dealt with you, I will deal with that DC too.'

This made Jones even more angry. How dare he to threaten Stephens? Just as he wanted to say something back, Stephens came in the room in a hurry.

'Ben! Here you are!' she shouted. Then she saw Carter too and her face went pale.

Jones stepped in front of her. He wanted to protect her, even with his life. 'You will not harm Gail. If you do, you will have to face me first,' Jones said.

Carter just smiled. 'Relax, Jonesy. All I need is my phone. With one call, her friend is dead. And I'm not going to reveal where he is. If she doesn't hear anything from me this hour, she is going to kill him, so you have no chance.'

In a quick movement, Jones grabbed carter by his neck and went face to face with him.

'Try me, Carter. We will find out who is going to win this little game you are playing with me.'

Jones hit Carter hard in his stomach. Carter just smiled. That was a sign to say that he was not going to tell anything. Jones gave him another elbow. This time harder. Carter gasped for air, but he didn't speak.

'Alright then. Maybe I should get a PC to find out where your girlfriend is. That is possible nowadays with GPS,' Jones said.

'Are you really that stupid?' Carter sneered. 'She turned off her GPS. And you can't call her either with my phone, because then she will kill Ferry too. You have no choice, Sergeant.' With that last word he spitted in the Sergeant's face.

Jones hit him again, but without much success. This PC was really not going to reveal anything.

'Gail, I want you to set out a search party. Just gather a team to find Ferry. And ask the Technical Department to trace Ferry's phone. Maybe you have got more luck with that,' Jones said to Stephens.

'Yes, Serge,' Stephens said as she was moving towards the door.

'No, you will not. As soon as you will leave this door, I will make sure Ferry is not getting away alive. And neither are you two,' Carter said.

'Is that a threat? Not a smart thing to do, Constable,' Jones said coldly. Jones knew that he should take Carter seriously, but he didn't want Carter to know that. 'I give you a last chance to say where Ferry is, or I will make your life very unpleasant.'

'You can do to me what you want, Sergeant. But you should know that Ferry will be killed in half an hour if Miranda doesn't hear anything from me. Besides, if she doesn't hear anything from me in two hours, I have someone in this station who is going to kill you too. So be careful with your decisions,' Carter said.

'Who? Who do you have in this station?'

'I must be stupid to tell you.'

'Right. I will throw you in a cell for now. In the meantime, I will have your phone to make sure you can't make any calls. I will also have your cell double guarded and I will find that traitor in this station. And half an hour is enough for me to trace Ferry, don't you worry, Constable,' Jones said. His voice sounded stronger than he really felt. He wasn't so sure about this plan.

Jones grabbed Carter and gave the phone to Stephens. He walked through the door and called three PC's on his way to the cells. He told the three PC's to guard Carter's cell to make sure he wouldn't escape. After putting Carter in a cell, Jones went to his office and gathered every available officer in the station. Stephens had already gone to the Technical Department to ask whether they could trace Ferry's mobile phone.

'Alright guys, I gathered you all here for a search party. I ask you to take it very serious, because this concerns a murderer. We have a photo from both the kidnapper and the victim. We are trying to trace the victim as we speak. I will inform you if we located the victim. My guess is that they are somewhere in Midsomer Magna, so I suggest you start there. You have got only half an hour, so you better hurry,' Jones said to the group.

Just when the group left for the search, Stephens came running into the office in a hurry.

'Ben!' she shouted. 'We found a trace! He is located in an old hut in the middle of the woods. The hut is mostly used by birdwatchers to hide themselves.'

'That is great news, Gail! We call for some backup and we will go there as soon as possible,' Jones said.

Jones couldn't drive through the woods with his car, so he decided to park it somewhere outside the woods. They would have to walk the rest. The backup arrived just then and the five of them went into the woods. Jones and Stephens taking the lead. They didn't know exactly where they had to be, they have never been in these woods before. Suddenly they heard a crack in the distance. Jones told the three PC's to remain silent and he went looking for the source of the sound. He saw an old woman walking through the woods. Jones was relieved. Maybe that old woman knew where the hut was. She didn't seem like someone who could possibly be involved by the kidnapping. He approached the old lady.

'Hello there, madam,' he greeted her friendly. 'Could I ask you something?'

The woman glared at the Sergeant. It was like she was examining his whole appearance, from his shoes till the top of his head.

'Who is asking?' she said a little bit cheeky, but not unfriendly.

'I am Detective Sergeant Jones, from Causton CID,' Jones answered.

'Oh dear, what brings you here in the woods?'

'I am just looking for someone,' Jones answered. 'And I would like to ask you a question, if I may. I thought that maybe you could help me.'

'A nice looking young Sergeant like you can ask me anything,' the lady said.

Jones couldn't help blushing. He felt a little bit uncomfortable. 'I am looking for some kind of hut, I have been told that it is mostly used by birdwatchers. Perhaps you could tell me where that hut is exactly?' he asked politely.

'Aha, yes, I know exactly what you are talking about,' the woman said, but then she stopped talking.

'And would you please tell me where it is then?' Jones asked again.

The woman said nothing. Stephens came walking to Jones, wondering what was happening. The woman still said nothing.

'This is DC Stephens, by the way,' Jones said. He thought that she possibly stayed quiet because of the stranger who came up next to him.

'I was thinking, aren't you a little bit too young to be a Detective Sergeant?' the woman asked.

'Maybe I am, madam. But I have an ID if you want to see it,' Jones said, picking his warrant card out of his pocket to show it to the lady.

'Oh, okay, it is perfectly fine.' Again she remained silent.

'Would you answer my question now, please?' Jones asked, losing his patience a little bit.

'And that was? Oh, right, yes, the hut,' the lady said confused. 'I am sorry, Mister Jones, I am a little bit confused at the moment.'

'That's alright, madam.'

'The hut is just ten minutes walking from this spot. It is in that direction. You can't miss it,' the lady said, pointing in the hut's direction.

'Thank you, madam. You have been most helpful,' Jones said.

Jones called the PC's and moved in the direction where the woman was pointing at. If that lady said that it was ten minutes walking, then they could probably be there within five minutes or less if they would hurry.

And indeed, after no more than five minutes, Stephens tapped Jones's shoulder and pointed at the hut. It must be there. Carefully, the five officers approached the hut without making a sound. When Jones reached a small window, he could see Ferry sitting down in a chair. He was tied up with tape on his mouth. He also saw Miranda, with a knife. She was on the other side of the room, so if Jones would surprise her by kicking the door in, she might not be able to get any closer to Ferry. Jones wanted Stephens to stay back, just to make sure she was safe. He told another PC to stay with Stephens as he told the other two PC's to follow him. He approached the door and kicked it in as hard as he could.

'Stay back and drop your knife!' he shouted.

The two PC ran over to Miranda as soon as she dropped her knife in surprise. The PC grabbed Miranda and Jones went over to Ferry to free him from the ropes and the tape.

'Are you alright?' Jones asked Ferry.

'Yes, I am, thank you,' he answered, a little bit weak.

Jones turned to Miranda Green and gave her an angry look.

'You are a really good actress, Miss Green,' he said. 'But now I will make you pay for that murder and for hitting DC Stephens.'

'No, please!' Miranda cried. 'He forced me to do it!'

Again there were tears running over her cheeks. She was indeed a really good actress. It wasn't Jones's intension to fall for those skills again.

'Oh, did he? Then why are you playing this game along? Carter is in the cells by now. You could have decided not to kidnap Ferry. You could have decided to inform me instead,' Jones said bitterly.

'I was afraid! I am not lying to you, please believe me! I didn't want to kill Cedric, I was forced to do it. If I refused to kill him, Carter would have killed me! And I didn't really planned to kill Ferry, I only kidnapped him,' she said, still crying.

'Then explain the knife you were holding.'

'I got that from Carter. I didn't want to use it.'

'I still can't forgive you for hitting my DC. Besides, you have committed a murder. I think we should handle this over to the court. With a good solicitor you might get away with only a few years.'

'I didn't mean to hurt Miss Stephens, really. I am so sorry,' Miranda said almost begging.

'Miranda Green, I am arresting you for the murder on Cedric Combs, the kidnapping of Ferry Milburn, the violence against a police officer and for the cooperation in blackmailing. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention something which may later be rely on in court. Anything you do say, may be given in evidence. Take her away please,' Jones said firmly.

Back at the station, Jones suddenly realized he had forgotten something. Something very important. There was still a friend of Carter's at the station. That could be dangerous. He quickly ran to the cells to make sure that Carter was still there. He was. Jones gave the three PC's who were guarding a friendly nod and went back to the station. He looked for Gail, but again he couldn't find her. Jones prayed that she was alright and that nothing bad happened.

'Are you looking for your girlfriend, Sergeant?' Jones heard a teasing voice behind him. It was PC Turner who stood behind him.

'How do you know…' Jones began.

'Just rumors. So it is true?' The PC asked.

'Those are none of your business, Constable. Go back to work,' Jones ordered.

'Of course, sir,' Turner said, still smiling. 'But I happen to know where your DC is.'

'Oh, do you? Where is she then?' Jones asked with suspicion. He wasn't sure if he could trust Turner at the moment. In fact, he couldn't really trust anyone.

'I don't think you would like the answer, sir. I should go back to work.'

'No, you are going to tell me first where Gail is. Where is she?' Jones demanded.

'Alright then,' the PC began. 'I saw her just five minutes ago. With PC Watson. They seemed pretty close. They were outside the station, next to the parking. I'm only telling what I saw, so don't blame me.'

Jones walked off without a word. He couldn't believe that Stephens was cheating on him. There must be something going on. He felt that PC Watson was up to no good. Maybe he was the one who was the traitor at the station and maybe he was going to hurt Stephens. Jones decided he had to find them quickly before something happened to Stephens. He hurried as fast as he could out of the station. Then he saw Stephens, again looking pale.

'Gail! What happened? Where is Watson?'

Stephens seemed to be surprised that he knew that Watson was with her. She was ashamed of what she had done, she didn't really feel like telling Jones. She was afraid that he would be forever angry with her. On the other hand, Watson's threat had to be taken serious. If she wasn't going to tell anyone about it, she and Jones would be in danger.

'Gail?' Jones asked worried.

'Hey, Ben, what's up?' Stephens tried to sound neutral.

'Don't do this again, Gail. I thought you would have learned to trust me by now.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean that you are not honest with me. Again.'

'I don't know what you are talking about,' Stephens said nervously.

'Yes, you do!' Jones said a bit more harder than first. 'And I am giving you right now the chance to tell me what happened by your own, or else I will find out myself.'

Stephens was wondering what Jones knew. She knew that she shouldn't keep this from him, and if he already did know, it was best to tell him.

'You already kept information from me with that Carter case. That is serious in a murder investigation. I could have suspended you for that. The murder investigation isn't yet over, and I think we can't trust Watson. If you are trying to keep information from me again, you will not like the consequences, I'm afraid,' Jones said firmly.

Stephens was a little bit overwhelmed by Jones's acting. He never talked to her like this before. But she also knew he was serious. She decided to tell him.

'Alright then,' she said. 'But you must promise me not to interrupt. It is difficult enough.'

Jones nodded and Stephens began to talk.

'I came back to the station. PC Watson came over to me and asked if he could have a talk with me. He said that it was urgent and that he didn't want anyone else to hear it. So I was curious of course, and I agreed to walk off with him to the parking. We went to a corner where we thought no one could see or hear us. Then he began to talk. He said that he liked me, and that he wanted to spare my life if I would set Carter and Miranda free without telling anyone. He then tried to kiss me, but I pushed him off. It was nothing, really! I refused to set the two prisoners free and I said that I was going to tell you about it. He became less friendly by then and he hit me. He said that he would hurt you and even kill you if I wasn't going to do what he wanted me to do. I am afraid that he is watching me. He said that he would make sure that I wasn't going to tell anyone, or else he would go to hurt you. I don't want to know what he's going to do now, Ben!'

Jones listened to her story. He wasn't mad at all because she kissed Watson. He was only concerned about Stephens. He had to comfort her.

'Don't you worry, Gail. He won't touch me. I will catch him first. I won't let him hurt you either,' Jones said as soft as he could.

'Thank you, Ben,' Stephens said. 'I am so glad I have told you. But please, be careful.'

'Of course I'll be careful, Gail. You know that.'

They came closer to each other and they kissed. They didn't care about colleagues who saw them anymore. After a minute or two, they walked off to the station looking for PC Watson before he found out what Stephens had told to Jones.

They found Watson indeed, in Jones's office. It was like he was planting something on Jones's desk. Something what was hidden behind a tower of papers. He looked confused as he saw the DS and the DC walking into the office.

'Sir!' he said surprised. 'I was just looking for you. I wanted to ask you for a report from a theft a year ago.'

Jones didn't believe him, of course. Watson glared at Stephens to see if she had told Jones, but he wasn't sure if she had. It was better not to act suspicious, he thought.

'And you thought that you could find it yourself on my desk, since I wasn't here?' Jones asked the PC.

'Yes, sir. I am sorry. But I really need those papers,' Watson said nervously.

'You can have those papers, but first you are going to show me what you were hiding on my desk. And do not lie to me, Constable,' Jones said coldly.

'It was nothing, sir. Honest!'

Jones sighed. Maybe he should tell the PC what Stephens had told him. He already decided to suspend him anyway. And to throw him in a cell after that, of course.

'It was, Watson. I know it was. Lying to me is not going to help you out of this. You threatened me and my DC, and I will make you pay for that,' Jones said.

'Oh, so she told you? She is lying. I would never threaten you nor your DC.'

'You also tried to kiss her,' Jones said, moving a step closer to Watson.

'No, I didn't. She is lying. She is jealous, I think.'

'Why would she be?'

'I don't know, I just think she is.'

'I don't care about what you think, Constable. You opinion is not important at all. Besides, we have a witness who can confirm everything.'

'I can still deny everything. I haven't done anything!' Watson said angrily.

'Not yet, no. Step aside and show me what you are hiding there,' Jones said with a dangerously soft voice. 'Now, Constable!'

The last two words sounded very strong. The PC stepped aside and Jones walked over to his desk. He saw a microphone under the papers. So Watson was going to eavesdrop him to hear if Stephens was going to tell him something. Just then there happened something Jones didn't expect. PC Watson suddenly jumped towards Stephens and grabbed her. He took his gun, which every PC had of course, and held it against Stephens's head.

'Release my friends, or I will kill your lovely girlfriend,' he ordered.

'You are not going to tell me what I have to do,' Jones said. He sounded braver than he felt.

'Yes, I am. And you are going to release them, unless you want to see your DC dead. So you have a choice. I don't think you will have to think about that choice very long.'

'You will not get away with this,' Jones said. He knew that he had to do what Watson asked him to. But as soon as he would get the chance, he would knock him down with his bare hands. Without any mercy. He felt angry, but he must be careful. Stephens's life was in great danger.

'Okay, I will do as you ask. Just follow me. And put that gun down, please,' Jones said.

'Good man. And no, I will not put the gun down. I know exactly what is going to happen then. I am not stupid, Sergeant.'

Jones felt really helpless. He walked through the station with right behind him PC Watson and DC Stephens. Watson held the gun against the back of Stephens, so they would not look suspicious. No one was giving attention to the three. They could easily walk to the cells. In the cells were three PC's guarding the prisoners.

'You can go,' Jones said to them without any further explanation.

'Yes, sir,' the PC's said. They didn't ask any questions. They just did as they had been told.

When the PC's were out of sight, Watson ordered Jones to open the doors.

'Open the cells, Sergeant,' he ordered.

'The keys are behind you. You can also grab them yourself,' Jones said in an attempt to draw Watson's attention away. Surprisingly, it was effective. Watson turned his head to look at the keys and Jones took his chance. He jumped over to the PC, grabbed his gun and knocked him to the ground. He gave Stephens the gun, as he was going to hit Watson again. Jones was only satisfied when he saw blood flow over the PC his face. He was threatening Stephens, and now he had to pay for it.

After a few hits, blood flew over Watson's face. He only shouted and begged for Jones to stop. Jones stopped before the PC was unconscious and he rose up. He gave Watson a final kick and then he called the PC's back who were guarding the cells. They looked very surprised when they saw PC Watson lying on the ground with blood on his face with DS Jones standing next to him with an angry look. DC Stephens was only looking at the scene with the same surprised look on her face.

'Throw him in a cell. If one of them dares to open his or her mouth, you can do the same thing to him or her as I did to Mr. Watson here,' Jones said.

'Yes… sir…' the PC's said, still confused.

With all the three murderers locked up, Jones could finally close the case. At least he had something to talk about with his boss when he returned. Always better than talking about his holiday stories. Jones was just about to finish his report as Stephens came into his office.

'Ben?' she said.

'Yes, Gail, what is it?' Jones asked.

'I just wanted to thank you again. And I want to apologize.'

'Apologize? For what?' Jones asked.

'Well, I lied to you, remember. I kept information from you…' Stephens said. It was clear that it was really bothering her.

'Come on, Gail. I have already forgiven you for that. And you don't have to worry, because I have decided not to mention it in my report. You won't get in any trouble,' Jones said.

'Seriously?' Stephens said. She couldn't believe that she could just get away with this.

'Yes, seriously. Unless you want some punishment…' Jones said with a straight face. When he saw that Stephens was looking at him like he was mad, he started to laugh.

'Of course you aren't in any trouble. Just forget about it, will you?' Jones said to reassure Stephens.

'Alright then, thank you, Ben. I was thinking by the way, would you like to come over tonight to have some dinner at my place?'

'Yes, sounds lovely, what time do you have in mind?' Jones asked.

'Around seven?' Stephens said, happy with the answer.

'I'll be there, see you tonight, Gail!' Jones said.

They gave each other a quick kiss on the mouth and then Stephens went off. She was already off duty. Jones finished the report quickly, so that he could prepare for dinner at Stephens's house. He had to refresh himself a bit of course. He left the station with a good feeling. He did a well job as SIO in this case. He couldn't wish for a better end to this case than having an evening alone with Stephens. DCI Barnaby would be surprised what had happened in one week time.


End file.
